BALL GROUND, Ga.—LAT Apparel coordinates and distributes donations to local charities and organizations. The company distributed a range of products including toys and apparel during a Dec. 3 gathering at its corporate headquarters in Ball Ground, Georgia.

On the tail end of a fruitful year for the company, executives decided to launch a project to benefit organizations in nearby Cherokee and Pickens counties. The donation drive took place following an annual sales meeting, says Valerie Schopmann, marketing operations manager for LAT. Spouses joined company staff to build the volunteer workforce for the afternoon.

“All of our sales reps, all of the managers, plus spouses donated their time on Saturday,” she adds.

Part of the company’s inspiration for the drive comes as a means to give back to the community, but also to recognize how integral the local counties’ residents are to LAT, Schopmann explains.

“We’ve been very blessed this year, and we wanted to make sure we gave back to our local community,” states Schopmann. “[The executive team at LAT] decided we had the funding available and that we would spread the wealth where most of our employees live.”

Local organizations on the company’s recipient list include a ranch for at-risk young men, food pantries, and the Cherokee County Fire Department. The company provided 100 bicycles to the department for its ongoing toy donation program, as well as donations of food, apparel, toys, and basic hygiene products to the other organizations.

Employees with the Cherokee County Fire Department.

After building donation packages at LAT headquarters, teams of employees and their families trekked through both counties to distribute donations that same afternoon. In addition to benefitting people throughout the region, the project raised morale throughout the office.

“It was a real feel-good day for us,” adds Schopmann.

The company's Ball Ground, Georgia office served as headquarters for the donation project.

The donation drive marks the latest project by LAT Apparel to bolster the local community and Georgia-at-large. In the spring of 2017, the company organized a large clothing donation for Bert’s Big Adventure, a nonprofit that hosts trips to Disney World for terminally ill children.